Stumble
by Lunaroid2906
Summary: Lucy, despite her celestial spirit magic, she dislikes the stars. When she got a chance to walk away from her mansion, she never thought to stumble upon a boy that was on his way back to his guild, and was actually lost. Upon his invitation to join the said guild, will she accept it or not?


**A/N :**

Heya guys, I'm back again! This is the second one shot that I'm going to publish. It's not that long but I hope you'll enjoy reading it. For the people who miss my other story, which I don't know whether I'm able to update it or not, I'm sorry for the really long wait but I'm kinda stuck with the plot. And I don't think my brain is capable to resume the coughcomplicatedcough story so my friend suggested me to try one shot. Well this is one of many one shots I successfully wrote, I hope it's really a success, too.

For the story itself, Lucy and Natsu has the same age, which is 10. Yeah, for an unknown reason I liked the idea of the two in their children form. I don't know their exact age so I made it up, bear with it okay? And some of you will find it Lucy quite ooc but oh well.

Last, Fairy Tail isn't mine to begin with, I just own the story idea.

Oh kay, to the story!

-Lunar

* * *

**Stumble**

Nouns

_accidentalness; adventure; assurance; chance; chance medley; fate; indetermination; wheel of Fortune;_

Verbs

_be one's fate; chance; fall to one's lot; hap; stumble on light upon; take one's chance; turn up;_

Adjectives

_accidentally; as bad would have it; by chance; by accident; perchance; as luck would have it;_

Phrases

_There but for the grace of God go I; grasps the skirts of happy chance [Tennyson]; the accident of an accident [Lord Thurlow];_

**-Roget's Tesaurus**

* * *

She stared at the sky blankly. Her mind too preoccupied with unwanted memories to realize the coldness wind on her bare hands. A flock of black birds fly high then disappeared behind a hill. The sky had a beautiful vermilion color as the sun sunk slowly on the horizon. The little girl leaned on the tree beside her, then sat and hugged her knees. The sweet scent of cherry blossom was overwhelming, almost dizzying but she liked it.

Her blond, shoulder-long hair swept gently by the wind. Silently, she closed her eyes and listening the sound of the wind. She never knew that the wind's sound would be soothing her to sleep so soundlessly. Because when she opens her eyes, the stars gleamed in the dark purplish sky, softly yet they threatened her. She never liked the stars, not since her mother passed away. It gives her nightmare, and maybe she was living in one of her cruelest nightmare.

She wonder if she would, or _could_ ever wake up from her nightmare. At least she was hoping this all was a mere nightmare so when she woke up, she could embrace her dearest mother and–

A twig snap surprised her, but she made no attempt to show her expression. She glanced over her shoulder softly, only to find a boy with a white scarf around his neck. His chest steadily rising up and down and sweat trickling down his forehead, despite the coldness in this evening.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice was demanding in a soft manner. She glanced back to the hill–that was dark by now, not muttering any single word. She never thought that she would meet a boy around her age wandering alone in the forest alone.

Oh wait, she was a _girl_ and was wandering _alone_.

The boy stomped loudly and made his way to her angrily. No one ever ignore him before, well except for some people. He _must_ make some exception for those 'some people'. He grabbed the girl's arm rather roughly and yelled, "I'm asking you! Are you deaf or what!"

Her brown, round pair of eyes met a tired yet impatient, onyx eyes. A pair of onyx-colored eyes that filled with curiosity rather than fury, that glinted with childishness. She almost thought the boy had the most beautiful pair of eyes, if only she didn't realize the proximity of their faces.

She flinched inwardly then shoved him. She heard a loud cursing from the boy and a low growl from him. Not that she care, but she didn't mean to shove him that hard. At least, not until he fell backward. Or maybe he was just being stupid to trip over a stone. She snickered silently as a soft giggle slipped her mouth.

Her giggle, however, didn't go unnoticed by him. He stood and light his hand with fire, tempted to punch the girl, but instead he threw a couples of fireballs randomly, leashing his fury. After his breathing went steady, he sat cross-legged beside the girl but giving some space between them. He peeked to the girl. She was still at the same position; hand hugged her knees to her chest, but just now she leaned her head to the tree.

He yawned and scratched his spiky hair. A sleep would regain his energy and by the morning, he would be able to continue his journey. The boy folded his hand and placed it behind his head. His gaze now meets the twinkling stars. He always wondered why does the stars kept twinkling, or does it ever tired to shine, or the when will the stars' light went off, and such.

Well, Igneel once told him that the stars never died. Because once it dead, it would reborn again on another place but its identity stay the same.

"My name is Lucy," he suddenly heard the girl's voice. He glanced at her side only to find her head burried between her knees. By the steady rhythmic of her beating heart, he decided to tell his name tomorrow morning. After all, what really he needs after this long mission was to take a good night sleep.

* * *

She jolted from her sleep. Her head frantically studying her surrounding. The sky was dark with a hint of light behind her. There was this boy from yesterday, his sleepeing figure was weird. Sprawled carelessly on the grassy ground without readying himself in case something or someone attacks him. Her gaze met his rare hair color. It was dark pink with shades of even darker pink. How in the world a human got this hair color?

A yawn escaped her mouth but she never bother to cover her mouth. After stood up and stretched, she sighed contently and went to the boy. Time to wake that stupid boy if he didn't want to get eaten by some wild creature.

A light poke on his cheek didn't bother his sleep. She sighed inwardly and noticed bruises on his arms and legs. Some scratches on his face and dried blood on his hair. Just being a little kind in the morning, she had this urge to patch his bruises now before it infected or worsening. After dug her bag for a while, her fingers came in a contact with the sterile bandage. She had done wrapping him, for the uncovered part that was it. A big gash on his stomach was her consent but she just couldn't go bandaging it without his permission. This boy, whoever his name was, must be awakened after this one.

"I think I smell a delicious steak over there," she whispered and greeted by a headbut from the boy as he looked around with drool on the corner of his lips.

"Where? Where?" he continued, not noticing his head just met the girl's jaw. Then he ran wildly, yelling 'steak' and 'food' and some 'starving' between his useless words. His eyes caught the girl's little form not far from his standing place then he ran back at her with that stupid-looking on his face.

Yeah, a stupid-looking face, because she was annoyed enough with his loud mouth.

"You have such nerve to mess with me, boy," she growled and punched his head hardly it left a big bump. The boy rolled on the grass in pain while covering his bruised head.

"What the heck! Who do you– Oh thanks," his protest stopped once the girl gave him an apple. He was starving and she knew it, even before he ran wildly like some wild apes and yelled about his starving state. His stomach grumbled loudly last night, making her to wake up several times. "Thanks, Lucy! I'm Natsu, Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail!" he stated proudly with a toothy grin.

She nodded and made a mental note to ask him what was this Fairy Tail. Her black with silver lining robe, that covered her tiny figure quite nice, touched the ground slightly as she walk. And of course, the boy trailed behind her, yawning carelessly while rubbing his eyes. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm suspecting that you are lost, I'm just doing a favor to show you the way to the nearest town with a train station," she replied softly.

"Train? Nah, I'd rather walked there than take those torturing machines," he stated, "After all, Magnolia isn't that far from here. I would arrive there by this evening."

"Magnolia?" she murmured, "Is that the town where this Fairy Tail are?"

"You know Fairy Tail!"

"You just said it when you introduced yourself."

"Oh," he grinned sheepishly, "Fairy Tail is the best guild in Fiore! Jii-chan is leading the guild and Gray-bastard is my rival! Erza is my rival too but she is always busy brawling with Mira."

She nodded to show him that she was listening. By the time he explained that, he was walking beside her. "Erza is the best requip mage I've ever know! Mira has this demon magic and Stripper has ice magic," he explained with the same grin on his face.

"Where are your parents?" the question just fell out of her lips automatically. She mentally slapped herself for asking such question.

"I was adopted by a fire dragon," he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Her mouth parted slightly. This boy gotta be kidding. "If you're joking, then it was the worst joke I've ever heard," Lucy huffed.

"I'm not joking! Igneel is the best dragon ever lived! He taught me this fire magic! Thus make me nothing but a fire dragon-slayer, the greatest dragon-slayer Fiore ever have!"

She smirked slightly. "To put it simple," she stifled her mocking laugh, "you were raised by a fire dragon and _he_ taught fire magic to you."

Natsu nodded his head vigorously. A sigh escaped the girl's lips, "Well, it's not like I'm gonna believe you or something."

"Hey! You watch your–"

"Here we are, the town, no, the city of Hargeon. The earliest train that heading Magnolia departing at nine o'clock. You have two hours remaining and so on and so on. Good bye," she walked back to the forest.

A tug on her cloak made her stops from walking. The boy, Natsu, gripped it tightly. "Hey. Luce," _Luce? _"Do you want to join Fairy Tail? It would be great! We can go to different mission every day and I'll introduce you to Erza and Mira, and maybe that Stripper, too. C'mon, it would be so much fun!"

What made Lucy surprised were his eyes, again. It gleamed in excitement, just like the stars. She remembered about a red insignia on his upper right arm. Its shape somewhat looked like a bird. No, a fairy would fit it more. She stared at the red insignia, before switched her gaze to his grinning face.

"No thank you," she started to walk again.

"Eh? Why? Hey, Luce, wait up!" he now stood in front of her, "Are you sure about that?"

"100% sure and," she crossed her arms, "why don't you live with your dragon-father, _Natsu,_" she emphasized his name in mocking manner. She fought back the urge to flinch as she saw he lowered his head. Dark pink cascaded as he did so, making his eyes covered.

Seeing him like that not answering, she took another couple of steps before hearing his voice. "He disappeared," she heard his heavy steps toward her, "on that date he disappeared, leaving me alone in the cave. On that July 7th, X777, he disappeared."

What the girl would do next was unexpected by him. He was on his back with the girl sat on his stomach. He was genuinely surprised, because the girl had just pointed a golden key in front of his face.

"Never ever talk about that cursed date in front of me," she growled. Her eyes glinted with hate and–

"What the hell!" he rolled the girl so he was free from her. He quickly readied himself, just in case she fought back with that key-thingy. But the girl sat there unmoving, except for the slight shook on her shoulders, she didn't really moving.

Salt filled his nose and he heard a faint sobs. He dropped the fighting stance and get to her in an instance. "Hey, Luce, you alright?" he poked her back softly, and then frowned when he got no response.

He peered at her face and saw tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "Oh shit! Uh, Luce, I'm sorry, er, I don't mean to push you that hard, if only I push you hard, erm please hit my head!" he placed his head on the ground.

Lucy's tears stopped instantly. She stared at the boy beside her, who had his face kissing the ground. A chuckle barely heard by him, since he concentrated his senses to another thing, then heard a louder giggle seconds later.

"You don't need to do that, silly," she wiped the tears out of her eyes, "Even more, I'm the one at fault here so I'm getting the punch instead."

"Nah, for me to punch a girl is weird, just forget that okay," he grinned, "Uh, if you don't mind, do you think you want to talk it with me?"

"Okay, so my mother dead on that same date, too. I hate that date," she said, "I'm sorry to surprise you. Yesterday was the third anniversary of her death, actually."

"Yeah, and the third anniversary of the disappearance of my father," he mumbled quietly, "It's been three years since then."

"You're right."

* * *

"You sure you're not going?" he asked from the window.

"Well, I'd like to join but I got to train before I can join Fairy Tail," she smiled a little, "I don't want to be the weakest there, you know?" she added jokingly.

Natsu frowned a little then asked, "When will you join us?"

She found it rather hard to answer, since she didn't know when exactly she will be able to join Fairy Tail. She leaned her arms on the opened window and poking her head inside the train. "I don't know, but I'm sure I'll join you later. Uh, are you alright?"

Natsu's face was pale and went blue-ish. His stomach turning upside-down as he realized he was inside the so-called torturing moving machine. But he managed to answer her, "I'm alright, just a motion sickness," he held back the urge to hurl.

Lucy snickered and smirked slightly, "So the oh-I'm-the-greatest-Natsu actually has this poor motion sickness, eh?"

"Shut up."

Lucy laughed at his response. Hearing the train's whistle, she quickly retreated behind the yellow line. "You know, I think I'll be–"

_WOOOOOH WOOOOOOH_

"What? Hey Luce I can't hear you!" he shouted, his motion sickness forgotten for some seconds as the carriage moved away from her. He saw the girl's figure getting smaller and smaller as the train moved away from the station.

Despite his excellent hearing, the train's whistle startling him so he couldn't make it. He wondered, if she would join Fairy Tail soon. With the last thought, he fell asleep, his motion sickness was forgotten for the second time there.


End file.
